I had three weddings to attend in one weekend. No, I didn't stutter, I did say three! Crazy as that was, I knew that I could turn to the help of Rent the Runway.
I took my time choosing my rental dresses, as I have an issue that many fuller figured gals face- making sure it will fit in the chest. Many designer dresses also run small, so paying close attention to the measurements was a must. After scanning the website, I ended up falling in love with Badgley Mishka's Corundum Sapphire Gown and Rachel Roy's Swing It dress in a beautiful bright red. I knew I would stand out in both of these choices, which is a far cry from my typical "blend in with the background" little black dress. I also chose some jewelry to rent to finish off my looks and was so excited for everything to arrive. It made the idea of having to attend three weddings in one weekend slightly more bearable, because, let's face it, what girl doesn't like playing dress up with fancy dresses?
My Rent the Runway order was scheduled to arrive on a Friday evening, and I was going to wear the dresses on Saturday and Sunday. I had one of my own little black dresses ready for Friday's wedding, as it wasn't quite as formal as the other two. Now here's where everything began to unravel. I don't check my email as often as I probably should, and I was out much of the day Thursday and didn't bother looking at my phone until early evening while sitting down for a bite to eat. There was an email from Rent the Runway saying that there was a problem with my order. The email was received after 12pm, and I had to choose another dress as my Rachel Roy Swing It dress wasn't available. I started to panic. I was supposed to get back to them by 5pm with another choice, but it was well after 7pm. Tears welled in my eyes and I became very upset. Why wouldn't I be called about something like this? I immediately called their customer service line. After being put on hold for a good ten minutes, I found out that Rent the Runway sent me two other dresses, but was completely in the dark about that. I asked to be sent links to these dresses, as I wanted to make sure they would be appropriate for my figure, and much to my dismay, they were not. I surely would have been mistaken for a lady of the night in both, so I told customer service that I would like to take a few moments and choose a replacement dress of my liking to be sent. They thankfully agreed and I immediately started to browse the website. After careful consideration, I chose Carmen Marc Valvo's Limoncello Dress. I figured I could accessorize with a metallic belt and wear nude sandals and feel a bit more stylish. The dress would be overnighted to arrive Saturday by noon, and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would.
After coming home from wedding number one Friday evening, I saw a RTR delivery at my door. I knew that the Badgley Mishka gowns would be in there. I had chosen two sizes, just to be safe. A word to the wise, these designer gowns tend to run on the smaller side, so if you are using RTR and are not petite, go one size up! I opened up the package to find the beautiful sapphire blue gowns along with the backups that were completely wrong for me, and a beautiful necklace, pair of earrings, and cuff. I put the size 12 Badgley Mishka on and it was too small. I luckily also ordered a 14, and it seemed to fit ok, except the zipper was busted! It wouldn't go past a certain point and after enlisting the help of my muscular boyfriend, the zipper wouldn't budge. A meltdown followed, a huge one. I'm a huge proponent of beauty coming in all shapes and sizes, but at that moment none of that mattered. Being left with zero options for Saturday's wedding and the slight possibility of my last minute back up for Sunday's wedding not fitting had me completely frazzled. I felt defeated, deflated, unworthy- all over a dress.
The following morning I returned my package of rentals and called RTR customer service to tell them what happened, while running to the mall to find something to wear that afternoon. Luckily I got a full refund for my conundrum and found a gorgeous black Calvin Klein sheath that boosted my self esteem and made me feel foxy. I made it back in time to change and head to wedding #2.
Calvin Klein at Wedding #2
So, here are some tips that I can offer up after using RTR a couple times. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time, the dresses at RTR get reserved fairly quickly. Also, it helps reading the reviews of women that have worn the dresses. If they say the styles run large or small, keep that in mind. Utilizing the stylists help at RTR is a good idea, too, as there are so many options to choose from. Last, have something as a back up in your own closet that you know will fit you just in case your rentals don't work out. You'll save yourself from a massive meltdown. To visit Rent the Runway, click here.
Carmen Marc Valvo at Wedding #3
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